Polarized relay.



H. J. ROBERTS, 0. A. SOANS & A. H. GRAVES.

' POLARIZED RELAY.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.25, 190B.

916,373, I Patented Max:123, 1909.

216723251 5.- 6 ZYZ/GVZEU; (y

' v ira WWW UNITED srnt is P EENT OFFIGE.

HOMER J. ROBERTS, or EVANSTON, ANDCYRIL A. SOANS AND ALBERT H. GRAVES, 0F

. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

POLARIZED RELAY.

I Original application flled January 8, 1907, Serial No .,351,296. Divided and this Serial No. 412,598.

Specification cat Letters Patent.

Patented March. 23, 1909. applicatioii jiled January 25, I908.

vented certain new and useful Improvements in Polarized Relays, of which the following is a specification. v

This invention is adivisional application of an a plication on party line telephones, Serial 0. 351,296, filed January 8, 1907.

Among the salient objects of the invention are to ment 0 contact devicesin'a"predetermined position,

and the movement of the armature in the other direction returns said contact members to normal; to provide improved mechanism for preventing sparking between the contact devices when they are actuated by the armature to provide an improved relay for making circuit changes on its deenergization; to provide an improved locking device for holding one of the spring contact members in fixed position and which is controlled .by the action of the armature; and in general to provide an improved construction of the character referred to.

In the drawings Figure 1, is an elevation of our improved relay, showing the contact members in locked position. Fig. 2, is a top lan view of'the same with a portion of the hiasi" bar broken away. Fig; 3, is a sectional detail of the group of contact springs.-

' 'ihese springs normally tend to spring upwardly and are respectively insulated from each other by means oiinsulating blocks 7 as shownin Fig. 1

rovide a relay in which the' move' the armature In one direction automatically locks one or more switch springs or .of the in 12 as will hereinafter appear. order t at this spring may serve as a'latch to polarized magnet coni- The armature A is provided witha 1-1 ht angled arm or extension 10 which over ies the group of springs, and in this extension is inserted an insulated bushing 11 in which in turn is mounted a. headed pin 12. of the bushing. 11 projects slightly below the armature and engages the top spring 7 as shown clearly in Fig. 3. Upon the lo werspring 9 is mounted an insulating spacing bushing 13 I'ovided with a shoulder 14, and passing reely through an Opening in the switch The head spring 8 and adapted to engage the top 'of the spring 7. Heretoforegreat difficulty has been'experienced'in preventing s arking between the contact devices when t at end of the arma ture which engages thegroup of contacts" is drawn into engagement with the pole-piece.

This sparking is caused by-the jar communi- ...cated to the group oif springs when the arma ture strikes the pole-pieccl lo avoid'this objection and as an improved feature of our invention we provide means for plositively locking the switch s ring durin t e downward movement of t at end of t e armature. which engages'the group of contacts andbe f fore the armature reaches the pole-piece." As

a further novel feature of our invention means are also provided for automatically releasing the switchfspringirom the locking device by the actuation the other direction. p y

Tothe above ends lo'designates an n standing spring latch mounted upon t e frame work of the relay and provided at its of the armature In outer end with aninclined portion 17 ada ted '7 to have wiping engagement with the hea -112 n look the switch s ring in its down position,

stop to arrest the downward inovement of the-switch spring'S; -When that end oi the armature carrying the insulated portion 11 isdrawn downwardly by the in'agnet, said insulated portion will engage the upper one of the contact springs and will force the group o,

- with the contact plate P8" of the switch spring clearly in Fig. 3.

8. 'l he lower contact spring 9, however, will be held'out of contact with the switch spring 8 by the insulated bushing 13 as shown The group ol" contacts retain the above position as long as the magnet remains energized and the armature held down. B "ore the armature has reached its downwar limit of movement, the end of the switch spring 8 will have wiped by the latch .lip 19 91nd slipped between the two lips as shown. in Fig. 1. .The action of the stop lip 18 is such as to give a cushioning eil'ect to the armature to prevent sparking and momentary interruption of the circuit between the top spring and switch spring on the downward movement of the armature. When the switch spring has been latched between the lips, the magnet is deonergized by cutting off the current supply.- The pressure of the armature is thus removed and the lower switch spring 9 will spring upwardly-into contact with the switch spring 8 now in locked position. At the same time the bushing 13 will lift the upper spriin out of contact with the switch spring and also raise the adjacent end of the armature.

As a further novel feature of our inven tion means are provided for unlockirg the switch spring and permitting the group of contacts to return to their normal position when the other end of the armature is drawn down. This is accomplished by the cooperation of the head 12 of the pin 12 with the inclined portion 17 of the latch spring 16. As the pin 12 is carried u wardly, its head will obviously wipe along tiie inclined surface 17, thus forcing the spring 16 outwardly and releasing the switch spring 8 from lip 19. The contact devices now spring back to. their normal osition as shown in Fig. 3.

W iile we have herein shown a specific form of relay which may be used in a particular telephone system, it is apparent that in its broader aspects our invention is not limited to the specific construction of relay herein shown and described but that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of our invention.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a polarized-relay, a switch member, a cooperating contact device, means for lock ing said switch member in one of its two p'ositionsrelatively to said contact device, means controlled by the relay armature for effecting said locking, and means controlled by said relay armature for unlocking said switch member and effecting its return to the other position. I

2. In a polarized relay, a switch member,

\ a normally-open cooperating contact device,

associated locking mechanism for holding said parts in closed contact position, means controlled by the relay armature for eflect ing said locking, when said armature is moved in one direction, and means also-controlled by said armature for unlocking said parts when the armature is moved in'the opposite direction.

3. -In. a polarized relay, a pair of oppositely disposed contact devices and an interposed switch member, self-retaining means operable by the relay armature, for placing and holding said switch member in contact with one of the opposed contact devices, and self-retaining means also operable by said relay armature for switching said switchmember into engagement with the other opposed contact device.

4. In a polarized relay, a switch member,

a cooperating contact device normally in one contact relation with said switch-member, means for locking said switch-member in the other contact relation with said contact device, means for placing said switch-member into locked. position when the armature is pulled in one direction, means preventing said cooperating contact device from changing its contact relation with said switchmember while the armature is being pulled in said locking direction, and means for unlocking said switch-member when the armature is pulled inthe other direction.

7 5. In a relay, a pair of cooperating contact springs, a latch with which one of said stop arranged to arrest the latching TI10V6- ment of the switch-member while the latter. is still subject to the force of the armature, whereby opening of the circuit and consequent spar ing at said contacts is prevented during the latching operation.

7. in a relay, a switch spring, one or more cooperating contact springs, a-spring pressed latch, member provided with oppositely disposed lips, and means for forcing said switch s iring into locking engagement with said lips during the closing movement of the cooperating end of the armature.

' 8. In a relay, a switch spring, one or more cooperating contacts, aspring pressed latch member provided at its inner face with a downwardly inclined lock lip and with an oppositely inclined li or stop, the latter eX tending outwardly eyond the former, a

means for forcing enga ement between said in the opposite direction unlocks the conlips and for tripping 0 said latch member. tact.

9. In a relay, a contact device, means for HOMER J. ROBERTS. locking said contact device, and operativ l CYRIL A. SOANS. connections between said lock or means and ALBERT H. GRAVES.

the armature of the relay whereby the move- Witnesses: ment of the armature in one direction locks, v LOIS FORGE,

the contact, and movement of the armature i EMILIE RosE. 

